According to a recent Arts Council report entitled Arts Audiences: Insight, almost a third of British adults will not go out to experience the arts in any given year.

It’s a worrying statistic that has prompted the team at The Basement to set up a new initiative – Passport To Performance – which aims to give ten local residents who don’t regularly attend theatre and live performance pieces a chance to experience its Spring 2012 season of work for free.

“We want to make coming to see performance more accessible,” says venue manager Claire Mackay.

“We want to break down the barriers and the elitism that can exist and get people coming in and realising that, actually, there is something for everyone here.”

Nationally, similar initiatives have proved successful in the past. In 2009, the Arts Council launched A Night Less Ordinary, which saw more than half a million free tickets given out to under-25s to encourage younger crowds to take a punt on something different.

The Basement will take this model and expand it to incorporate a much wider demographic that will involve everyone.

“We want a broad spectrum of the community to take part – we’ll do it for all ages and for people with different backgrounds who haven’t had the opportunity to connect with this kind of thing in the past,” continues Mackay.

“We want to be able to do it every season, so it will be an ongoing thing – hopefully it’s the start of a long and successful programme, developing new audiences and providing access to the arts for many people.

“It’s great for the artists too – they thrive on the feedback and it’s nice to give them a rounder picture.”

Potential applicants need not be wary of being dropped in at the deep end, as The Basement intend to induct the new ambassadors to their unique world of innovative and contemporary performance in style.

“We’ll host a meet-and-greet where the participants can meet each other – which is very important – and the artistic team, The Basement staff and the artists,” says Mackay.

“We’re quite a small team, and one thing we pride ourselves on is the personal touch we give people. The regulars know our names and faces and can talk to us.”

Although the Spring 2012 season is still being booked, Mackay is keen to point out regular shows such as Supper Club, Are You Sitting Comfortably, and Scratch! – which sees artists perform extracts of new and developing work for audiences to discuss and dissect – will make up part of the new programme, alongside the venue’s popular double bills that pair up works from international performers.

For those tempted to take part and who’d like to get an idea of the body of work programmed by the venue, The Basement’s autumn season is already proving a hit.

Shows taking place in coming weeks include performance artist Stacy Makishi – who re-imagines The Coen Brothers’ movie Fargo to investigate what’s real and what’s fake – and Total Theatre-award winning performer Bryony Kimmings, whose 7 Day Drunk explores the historical links between creative personalities and their reliance on drink.

* For more details about Passport To Performance and to download an application form, visit www.thebasement.uk.com – forms will also be available to collect in person at The Basement. Closing date for applications is Friday, December 9.